Okoye Out, Noble In as Eagles Begin Training in Abuja for Black Stars

*Osimhen, Ighalo, 20 others in camp for the trip to Kumasi on Thursday

Duro Ikhazuagbe 

Nigeria’s Super Eagles on Tuesday kicked off their 2022 World Cup playoffs preparations with first training session in Abuja with almost all the invited players present at the team’s The Wells Carlton Hotel and Apartments.

Apart from Enyimba’s goalkeeper, John Noble, Leicester City’s Ademola Lookman and Sadiq Umar of UD Almeria in the Spanish second tier league, all invited players honoured Augustine Eguavoen’s call up for the double headed fixture against Ghana’s Black Stars on Friday and Tuesday next week.

Maduka Okoye is going to be missing from the line up as he was reported to be ill. It was this development that informed the call up of Enyimba’s Noble as replacement.

With midfield enforcer, Wilfred Ndidi not available due to injury, Coach Augustine Eguavoen is going to be full of smiles as Lookman is due to arrive camp today. 

The Leicester man is in line to make his Super Eagles debut after he was recently cleared by FIFA to change international allegiance after he previously represented England, where he was born.

At press time last night, there were 22 players in camp with only Sadiq Umar expected to swell the figure to 23. Akinkunmi Amoo of FC Copenhagen in Denmark was the last player to reach the camp at past 10pm.

Napoli’s Victor Osimhen who arrived the team’s base in the afternoon spent quality time in the gym ahead of the first training session at the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja.

 The 23-year-old forward is expected to spearhead Super Eagles attack in the first leg  clash with the Black Stars at the  40,000-capacity Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi on Friday evening. 

The return leg on Tuesday at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja is expected to be equally pulsating and fiery given what is at stake in the playoffs.

The last time both teams were involved in a FIFA World Cup qualifying fixture was in 2001, with both seeking a spot at the Korea/Japan 2002 finals. 

The opening leg at the Accra Sports Stadium was stalemated 0-0, before Super Eagles won the return leg 3-0 inside the Liberation Stadium in Port Harcourt on 29th July 2001.

Their last meeting, in a friendly staged in London on 11th October 2011, ended 0-0.

EAGLES IN CAMP

Goalkeepers: Francis Uzoho (AC Omonia, Cyprus); Daniel Akpeyi (Kaizer Chiefs, South Africa);

Defenders: Semi Ajayi (West Brom, England); Kenneth Omeruo (CD Leganes, Spain); Leon Balogun (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland); William Troost-Ekong (Watford FC, England); Ola Aina (Torino FC, Italy); Calvin Bassey (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland); Abdullahi Shehu (AC Omonia, Cyprus); Zaidu Sanusi (FC Porto, Portugal);

Midfielders: Frank Onyeka (Brentford FC, England); Joseph Ayodele-Aribo (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland); Innocent Bonke (FC Lorient, France); Oghenekaro Etebo (Watford FC, England); Akinkunmi Amoo (FC Copenhagen, Denmark);

Forwards: Ahmed Musa (Fatih Karagumruk, Turkey); Samuel Chukwueze (Villarreal FC, Spain); Moses Simon (FC Nantes, France); Odion  Ighalo (Al-Hilal FC, Saudi Arabia); Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City, England); Emmanuel Dennis (Watford FC, England); Victor Osimhen (Napoli FC, Italy)

*Expected 

John Noble(Enyimba FC, Nigeria),Ademola Lookman (Leicester City, England); Sadiq Umar (UD Almeria, Spain)